Luca Lashes #Books Review

     Some time ago I was introduced to the Luca Lashes series.  I immediately fell in love with little Luca and his bravery when faced with scary situations.  I loved the illustrations and the special section at the end that helps parents prepare their children for those same situations.  Luca actually reminds me a lot of a young cousin I have and no joke, I almost named my son Luca.  So of course I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to check out 3 more books in the series.

     The first is Luca Lashes Visits the Doctor.  Of course most kids get nervous when they have to face the possibility of shots and Luca is no exception. But this little kiddo has a special talent for making those fears go away.  Luca blinks his eyes two times and his magical eyelashes make him see things in a whole new light.

     After putting his trust in his secret weapon, Luca discovers that the doctor's office really isn't anything too scary.  There is a great big painting on the wall, pretty cool band-aids and even a lollipop.  He realized that his shot didn't really hurt as much as he thought it might, even if it does hurt a little.  Overall he found his visit to be an okay experience.

     Kids will like Luca Lashes books because they help to ease tension in a way that is fun and easy to relate to, like the story about Luca visiting his mom in the hospital.  Any older sibling can certainly relate to that one.  It's scary to see Mom with a tube coming from her arm and to know that she can't come home.  But Luca handles it like a pro.  He just blinks twice and suddenly he knows just what needs to be done.

     He gives his Mom all the love he knows that she needs so that she can get better and in the process, he gets to feel pretty good himself.  Even though he wants his mommy home, he leaves the hospital knowing that the hospital is taking good care of her and that she will be home as soon as she is better.

     And Luca continues to conquer his anxiety in Luca Lashes and the Trip to the Nursing Home.  Luca is worried about what his visit to the nursing home will be like.  He is going to see his great-grandmother there for the first time.  He usually saw her at her own home.  But when he got there, with the help of his eyelashes, he saw that she had lots of friends there and that it was a very nice place.
      What makes Luca Lashes unique is that each book comes with a guide for parents at the end to help them ease their children into situations that they might find stressful or even scary.  I, for one, am very glad that I have read some of these books.  The Big One has been begging to see HER great-grandmother in the nursing home.  I want to bring her, but I do worry about how she will feel when she is there.  There are things the book mentions that I wouldn't have thought to explain to her, like how a nursing home can smell different and that nurses might be present.  These are small things that adults wouldn't think twice about, but a child might not be expecting them.

     My thoughts over-all are that the book series really is almost invaluable to a parent with a child who tends to worry or be anxious.  I did find that the rhyming of the doctor book on some pages was not quite as sing-songy as in the other books of the series and I struggled a bit to find the rhythm of the wording, I think maybe there was a few too many syllables in some lines.  But I adore Luca Lashes and the wording of a few pages in a series is not going to stop me from loving them.  As a mom, I definitely recommend them.  And if you go to the Luca Lashes website, there are lots of printable activities and a full list of Youtube videos where you can hear more parental suggestions on each book in several language options which I think is awesome.  All in all, it's another win for Luca Lashes :)
     What kinds of places or situations does your child get nervous about?


Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.